An ex-Chatham Town footballer who helped the team win the Kent league has passed away aged 69.

John Picot, of Bourneville Avenue, Chatham played for the team for two seasons and was part of the 1979/80 title-winning side.

His feats saw him go down in club folklore and he was featured in a book about the Isthmian Premier Division side entitled “They wore the shirt with pride”.

Known as Pickle by everyone who knew him, John passed away in his sleep on January 18 eighteen years after undergoing a triple heart-bypass which he heralded as giving him a second opportunity at life.

Paying tribute to her uncle Louise Spree, from Chatham, said: “It gave him a new lease of life and he didn’t want to mess it up.

“He lived a really healthy lifestyle. He played walking football, he loved fishing and he tried to eat healthily – although he did love a biscuit.”

Working as a plasterer until the day before he died, John had to “step up” when his wife Linda died suddenly of heart failure three years ago.

Louise added: “He pulled his sleeves up and he learned how to do things around the house. He would even take his nets down and wash them.”

John had two daughters, Louise and Joanne and three grandchildren, Lily, Harry and Tommy.

He also had a great nephew Harry, 13, who he loved taking to watch his beloved Chatham Town play every week.

Louise said: “He was football through and through. He absolutely loved it.

“His great passions in life were his family, football and fishing.”

And she said her uncle loved to talk and made friends everywhere he went.

“If you came into contact with him you would become his friend.

“He loved to chat and always had a story to tell. You would hear him say, ‘I’ll tell ya’.”

Smiling as she remembered her uncle, Louise added: “He had the kindest eyes and he was always smiling.

“He loved to tell a joke and he was always ready to lend a hand. He will be missed by everyone he met.”

Playing for Chatham Town in the late seventies John made a lifelong friend in Ron Pickering who helped him navigate life as a widower.

Ron passed away just a day after John and the pair were said to have enjoyed “a great friendship”.

Following their passing, Chatham Town posted a tribute to the pair on social media site X, formerly Twitter.

A post read: “Former Chats player John Picot sadly passed away this week.

“He had served Chats so well in the seventies and eighties and it was lovely that the last game he watched was seeing his grandson play.

“Rob Pickering a lifelong Chats fans also passed away this week, Ron loved the Chats so very much.”